In succeeding “Community” creator Dan Harmon as showrunners of the NBC comedy, Moses Portand David Guarasciohave been placed in a trickier position than most TV producers. First, it’s not often that a writer as singularly associated with a show as Harmon was with “Community” leaves it, whether voluntarily or because they were fired. Second, when it’s happened in the past with shows like “NYPD Blue” post-Milch, “The West Wing” post-Sorkin and “Gilmore Girls” post-Sherman-Palladino, the replacements have tended to be people who had already been working on the show and watching the creator at work. Port and Guarascio are comedy veterans who most recently worked on ABC’s “Happy Endings,” but their only prior affiliation with “Community” was as viewers of the show.

I spoke with them back in October, when “Community” was supposed to debut on October 19 in a new Friday timeslot. Instead, it was held until tomorrow night, when it’ll be back in its familiary Thursday at 8 p.m. berth for a 13-episode fourth season that Port and Guarascio believe has a good chance of not being the end of the series.

When I was in LA last month, I sat down with them for an expansive discussion about the challenges of stepping in for Harmon, their reaction to Chevy Chase’s abrupt exit late in the season (and how the show will deal with it), their take on where most of the characters are heading into season 4, their reaction to getting their very own Twitter spoof account, and a lot more.

I’ll have a review of the new season published either later today or first thing tomorrow.

Everything’s been shot, but what’s left to do on the season?

David Guarascio: Just editing, just post.And we are more than halfway through that process. We've seen cuts of everything but a few of the episodes. It’s like end of second semester, senior year, right now as far as we’re concerned.

So when you’re this close to the finish line, how has this experience been overall?

David Guarascio: Working on the show was great and just as much fun as we’d hoped it would be. It's been weird not having it air. So there’s a little bit of that. You still feel like slightly you’re in a suspended animation waiting for that. It would’ve been nice to have been making them also while they’re airing. But at the same time were happy they’re airing at all 'cause a little bit of that, did it really happened? Right. If no one ever sees the episode, was it really made? Those kind of existential question start to happen after a while.

Bill Lawrence has said that in those years when NBC would hold “Scrubs” until mid-season. He said they would always start to get really weird because they were getting no feedback, so they were just amusing themselves. Was there any sort of change like that for you? What episode were you on when they announced that it was going to be not October 19?

Moses Port: It must’ve been at the beginning of October.

David Guarascio: Which means what though like (episode) five or six?

Moses Port: I guess so.

So was there any kind of noticeable change in what you were doing after that?

Moses Port: No, I don’t think so. The show was something where we’re able to do some fairly weird things relative to other TV shows to begin with. So it didn’t really affect our trajectory whatsoever. It just think there’s a little bit of anxiety still for everyone of how will it be received? It’s still the big changes, the verdict is, you know, the jury is still out and so everybody’s kind of twiddling their thumbs a little bit.

You guys are in this interesting position in that it’s not a regular show being held until mid-season, it’s this special show under this unusual circumstance.

David Guarascio: Yeah. I think if the show had aired while we were doing it, it would have just been easier. Just one way or the other, even if you’re doing it wrong you can course correct. If you’re doing it right, everyone’s like, “Yeah we’re doing it right.”

Moses Port: Normally, it's like the anticipation is more anxiety inducing than the actual event. So it would be nice to have aired just to clear that hurdle. For example, we knew in advance of our Christmas episode that we were not going to be airing in Christmas. And we were like, “Well, fuck it; we’re still doing our Christmas episode.” And at that point maybe the network in the studio where at first encouraging us to not do a Christmas episode. Well we did a Halloween and we did a Thanksgiving, so what’s the harm really? And its one of those funny things you know you see cable shows do it all the time. So we might as well just do a Christmas episode; it’s in the middle of summer all the time. The audience does not care. They’re willing to suspend their disbelief that it’s not actually December 25, even though they're watching it being portrayed in that time period.

David Guarascio: Hopefully, they won’t hold it off until next Christmas. That would be their final vengeance.

Initially, the order was for 13 (episodes). But I have to assume when you took the job you were at least sort of thinking, “Well maybe we might get a back 9.” That just can’t logistically happen now. Was there ever a point when you were breaking the story where you were thinking, “Well what do we do if it’s 13 and then what we do if it’s 22?”

Moses Port: All the way through. It wasn’t until late that we heard for sure.

David Guarascio: I think we sort of intuitively knew it was looking more and more like 13 once they pushed the airdate. But there was a big like scuttlebutt that we might get three or four more episodes at one point. And at that point we really planned our finale and how we get there.

Moses Port: So we were just probably would’ve slotted in a couple of more clearly standalone. And they were all standalone in their own way, of course.

David Guarascio: The show has been through that before I think in season 2, they, you know, they ended up getting 24 or 25 they made.

I think it was season 1 where that happened.

David Guarascio: Yeah, so they ended up making a few episodes that turned out to be very memorable episodes. So we were looking forward just for that thing like, “Oh, that'll be fun like, and now you can really do whatever you want because they’re telling you so late. And everyone knows you’re up against it.” You know what? I think also the feeling early on was maybe just because of the show’s history, knowing it almost didn’t get renewed, that 13 was going to be the most likely thing. And so the internal discussions were always is it more likely to get a back 9 or a season 5? And I think we always contended more likely for a season 5. So we’re half true.

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

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It's a 7000-word transcript. We've run into big problems in the past with long articles like this or some of Drew's Film Nerd 2.0 pieces, and breaking them into multiple pages is the easiest way to get them to load properly for everyone, every time.

I'm exaggerating for humorous effect! But requiring six clicks without a single-page option does hit a sore spot for lots of people who read long things on the Internet. It makes us feel you just want us for our clicks... :(

My fears increase every time these dudes speak. I don't think they get the show. I don't think they get the fans. They certainly don't get Dan. Oh well, not like I expected this season to not be fan-fiction anyway.

When a show and all it's plots and character development and stories is brought together by the writers and is filtered through one persons brain then if that show is a work of art and is obviously a genius is at work then why change?

The reason they got rid of Sorkin from West Wing is because he was always behind schedule and never on budget and he was not flexable but he was the guy responsable for 4 DRAMA EMMYS!!!!!! Matt Weiner is the same and was responable for 4 DRAMA EMMYS!!! Dan Harmon is the same and may not get the Emmy's but still he is awesome!

How many times does a network have to do this? How many times does a studio have to do this?

This is so disappointing, I now get why Dan Harmon did that presentation a little while back on why Money is evil, it is not the money but the people who have it and who wield their power to screw up art!

I have the exact same worries as you guys. But it is the same actors, so i want to try to have an open mind. I just hope the perspective of knowing Dan is gone doesn't cloud my judgement more than it should. But i would still rather have Communtiy-Light than none at all. And maybe we all get super surprised.

Really? Multiple pages is that big of a deal? Geez people, talk about first world problems...

I read the whole interview, loved it. I'm a big Dan Harmon fan, but they're right in saying that Community was great because of a lot of people, not just Dan. They sound like they understood what they were undertaking, and they certainly sound like they did the best that they could. I'm looking forward to watching it - I'll reserve judgement until it airs.

I took it as that too. And they're right, Community has grown a lot from season to season, changing with this or that. Nothing ever stays the same with this show and that's why I love it; it's realistic and unique in that regard.

It sounds like they're focusing on the stories for the characters instead of obsessing over fan feedback or trying to keep just within the status quot, which is nice. There'll always be some that will complain, but people complained even when Dan was running the show. Complainers are expected 'cause you can't please everyone.

Alan, on page 1 there is what I believe is a question/comment from you that isn't formatted as one. Starts with "Initially, the order was for 13 (episodes). But I have to assume when you took the job...."

I took it in a different way. Britta and Troy will be the romance, but Britta will be functioning as Jeff's therapist (as she did a couple of times last season), and that causes complications for Troy/Britta, just as Troy and Abed's friendship will.

Their take on Jeff/Annie was the more surprising one, as I felt like the Dreamatorium episode really did put a bow on that idea.

I hope you're right because Jeff/Britta are finally in a place where I like them. Their romance has never been something I've enjoyed watching. But their platonic banter is fantastic and very funny. I thought the opposite about the Dreamatorium episode for Jeff/Annie. I thought it tried to put a bow on that idea but failed because everything I saw on screen contradicted Annie's insistence that there was no feelings there.

I also didn't get the sense at all that the Dreamatorium episode was putting a nail in the Jeff/Britta relaysh. but any so excited for Thursday! thanks for the interview. on another note, once this leaves, the current state of the network TV sitcom will be somewhere between print newspapers and the original pets.com

I never believed the Dreamatorium episode was putting a "bow" on the Jeff/Annie relationship. I just saw it more as a case of unreliable narrator on Annie's part. Either that, or Annie recognizing that her feelings weren't love, but still feelings just the same.

John, I don't see any similarities between Jeff/Annie and Alex/Dave. If anything, the reverse is true. The original pairing of Jeff/Britta didn't work so revisiting it would be like putting Alex and Dave back together. Unless I'm misunderstanding you.

Jon, I assume you mean the Jeff/Annie relationship. I don't see the connection between Jeff/Britta and the Dreamatorium episode.

Good interview but I'm more scared than ever. I don't think they understand the show. I do not want a Jeff/Britta/Troy love triangle. No thanks. Can't we just have a romance on the show without the need for a third party? Sick of it. I was excited for Troy & Britta but now I might give this season a miss if all we've got to look forward to is Jeff and Britta getting together. Can't think of anything worse.

Agreed. It's the fourth season and the time for jerking around with relationships is over. Draw some lines in the sand. It doesn't all have to be settled now, there can still be conflict, but let's be done with love triangles. There's plenty of story in a romantic pairing on its own.

And ITA agree about Jeff and Britta getting together. I do not understand how anyone could think that "Jeff/Britta is one of the most remarkable things that Dan has done." Really? Out of everything that Dan has done on the show, Jeff/Britta is among the most remarkable? smh

Exactly. One of the best things Dan Harmon did was get rid of the Jeff/Britta romance pairing. It wasn't working. It wasn't remarkable. His concept episodes were the remarkable thing!! Picking a ship as the best thing the creator has done is scary to me and also makes me think they are saying it just to keep on his side. I don't see anything remarkable about Jeff/Britta at all. I think I'm done with Community. This is not what I signed up for.

re: Jeff/Britta is one of the most remarkable things that Dan has done." I kinda agree in that it's refreshing when shows show that men and women (especially the lead characters) can be friends without falling in love with each other. Yes, there might have been feelings in the beginning but the Jeff/Britta relationship developed into an amazing friendship. They'll hookup with each other every now and then but sex doesn't mean true love, especially to thirty-something egomaniacs.

I always enjoyed Pierce. what's better than a punching bag that you don't have to feel sorry for? I hate this idea that every character has to be likable except for clear-cut villains. not that you said that, but I think that view drives a lot of what people have hated about Chevy and Chang

Years ago, Comedy Central did a roast of Chevy Chase, and the highlight was a blistering speech by Stephen Colbert that accrately and devastaingly explained why Chevy Chase is a mediocrity and a has-been. NBC did him the favor of making him relevant again and he spent three years punishing Dan Harmon and his co-stars for it.

In the first season Chevy Chase was in the first classic scene of the series - the Spanish presentation. Chase did some decent work on the show, especially season two, where he got to do a lot of different things character-wise. He was just too much a hack to see how special the show he was on was.

Am I the only one who liked season one Britta? I kind of had a crush on her. Sure, part of that is she looks like Gillian Jacobs, but i liked her earnest, if a little insufferable social coscience, too.

I didn't love her or hate her. I think she was maybe just too much of a "straight man." Most comedy troupes need a "straight" figure to balance the dynamic, but COMMUNITY quickly established itself as a show that worked without one (or at least, without a full-time one - various characters can fill the role in different scenarios). So Britta had to either change, or become irrelevant.

My biggest concern for where the show was going when we left off was that the Abed character was becoming *too* awesome. It seemed that no matter what, Abed was always the one in the end who was the smartest, the healthiest (mentally), had the best grasp of the big picture, etc. His "awesomeness" was becoming so predictable I felt I never had a reason to really invest in his character anymore because there was never any reason to be concerned for his outcome.

Did you watch season 3? I certainly wouldn't categorize Abed as mentally healthy (he was ready to saw off Jeff's arm!!! And the season ends with him vanishing into his "Dreamatorium," which the show had set up all season as detrimental to his mental health). If anything, you might complain that Abed's character got too angsty and creepy in season 3.

Well perhaps "mentally healthy" wasn't the best way to put it. What I meant is that he seems to be always so in control and dominant, even if what he is doing seems a little crazy. We'll see where it goes. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

It still amazes me that they made the Evil Abed storyline work. As crazy as all the concept episodes are, the character arc of Abed being taken over by an imaginary evil twin from another dimension should have broken any semblance of reality, but they pulled it off. I can scarcely believe they had the nerve to try it. True genius.